Refrigerator inner door construction



Sept. 16, 1969 SIMMS ET AL 3,467,458

REFRIGERATOR INNER DOOR CONSTHHC'TTON Filed March 11, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG! PIC-3.3

INVENTORS MlCHAEL L. SIMMS 8 JOSEPH E. BOPP THEME ATTORNEY Sept. 16, 1969 M. L. SIMMS ET AL 3,467,458

REFRIGERATOR INNER DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed March 11, 1968 i: Sh anisi-Fli'vwf. i,v

INVENTORS MKLHAEL L4 snvnvts bJ'OSEPH E. BOPP BY THEWZ ATTORNEY United States Patent REFRIGERATOR INNER DOOR CONSTRUCTION Michael L. Simms and Joseph E. Bopp, Louisville, Ky.,

assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 712,172 Int. Cl. A47b 77/08; A47f 3/04; Hk 5 03 U3. Cl. 312-223 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A refrigerator inner door structure formed of a plastic sheet material and comprising side-by-side storage compartment recesses separated by a partition includes a switch for controlling the operation of an electric heater for one of the compartments. The switch is mounted on the front face of the partition and a plastic escutcheon supported on the partition face serves the dual functions of insulating the switch and providing a pivot support for the doors closing the access openings to the compartments.

Background of the invention Most modern refrigerators include a door having an inner panel or liner comprising a sheet of insulating plastic material formed to provide a storage recess on the inner surface of the door including a butter storage compa'rtment. Most refrigerators also include a small door for closing the access opening to that compartment and thereby partially isolating the compartment from the relatively cool storage cabinet temperature and a switch operated adjustable heating means for warming the butter storage compartment to a temperature such that butter stored therein will be at the desired cutting temperature. Many refrigerators also include a second storage compartment including a door for closing the access opening thereto the second compartment being used for storage of cheese, eggs or similar foodstuffs.

Generally, the storage compartment or compartments, except for the doors or covers closing their access openlogs, are formed during the shaping of the plastic sheet material, the color of which is selected to provide a pleasing appearance. Also, the cover or covers for the storage compartments, formed of either sheet plastic material or sheet aluminum, are of a contrasting 0r accenting color or design. In many cases, an annual model change will include a change in the color, shape or configuration of the storage compartment covers or doors without changing the color or shape of the door liner or inner panel.

Summary of the invention The present invention is directed to an improved refrigerator inner door structure comprising a sheet of plastic formed to provide side-by-side storage compartments separated by a partition on the front wall of which there is mounted a switch for controlling the energization of a heater for one of the compartments. An escutcheon removably mounted on the partition serves the purposes of insulating the otherwise exposed face portions of the switch with the switch positions embossed on the escutcheon, providing pivot support means for the adjacent edges of the covers for the two compartments and providing easy front removal of the switch for servicing. Preferably also, in order to provide a pleasing appearance to this portion of the inner door structure, the face of the escutcheon is coplanar with and matches the color and design of the adjacent compartment covers. Thus the color or decor of this portion of the door structure can be changed from model to model without changing the basic shape or design of the inner door panel.

3,467,458 Patented Sept. 16, 1969 Brief description of the drawing In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a refrigerator cabinet with the main door opened showing the inner door panel or liner structure of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged front view of a portion of the door structure in the area of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is an exploded, partial sectional view of the same area and the components thereof.

Description of preferred embodiment With reference to FIGURE 1 of the drawing there is shown a refrigerator cabinet including a fresh food storage compartment 1 and a door 2 for closing the access opening to that compartment. The inner door structure of the door 2 comprises an inner door panel 3 of sheet plastic material formed to provide a storage recess 4 defined in part by vertically extending side walls 6 and 7. This recess 4 defines the door storage volume containing a plurality of shelves 8 and, in a accordance with the present invention, side-by-side storage compartments 9 and 10 having access openings at the inner or front sides thereof respectively closed by pivoting doors or covers 14 and 15.

As is shown more fully in FIGURES 3 and 4 of the drawing, these storage compartments or recesses 9' and 10 are separated by a vertical partition 16 forming part of the inner door panel and this partition is sufficiently wide so that the space between the adjacent side walls 17 and 18 thereof can receive a switch 20 mounted on the face or front wall 21 of the partition.

As is shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawing, each of the recesses include a bottom wall 22 which is somewhat wider or deeper than the top wall 23 and which is of the same depth or width as the partition 16 forming one side wall of each compartment. Also, partition 16 extends forwardly from the front edge 26 of the top wall 23 and also as is illustrated in FIGURE 4 extends upwardly above this top wall. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the compartment 10 is intended for use as a butter storage compartment and electrical resistance heating means 27 is provided for heating one or more of the walls thereof. The energization of these heating means is controlled by a switch 20 mounted in the front wall 21. This switch may be a low cost switch including a metal face plate 28 having a hook means 29 and a resilient portion 30 adapted to anchor the switch in an opening 31 in the partition front wall 21. This switch includes the usual operating button 33 extending forwardly from the metal face plate 28.

In accordance with the present invention, a plastic escutcheon 36, removably supported on the front face 21 of the partition 16, provides a decorative means for both preventing contact with the switch during normal use of the refrigerator means and for pivotally supporting the adjacent ends of the doors 14 and 15. In the illustrated embodiment, this escutcheon 36 is formed of molded plastic material and has a generally U-shaped cross section including a front wall 37 and spaced side walls 38 and 39. It is supported on the partition by means of an inwardly or rearwardly projecting hook 40 adapted to be received in a rectangular aperture 41 in the face of the partition. One or more projections 43 on the inner surface of one or both side walls of the escutcheon are adapted to engage one or more openings 44 in the upper side walls of the partition 16 for locking the escutcheon in place on the partition. Alternatively, removable rivets or screws can be employed in place of one or both projections 43.

A recess 46 in the front face of the escutcheon includes an opening 47 in the bottom thereof for the switch button 33. As this opening 47 is not substantially larger than the switch button, the button may be manually operated without coming in contact with the metal face plate 28 of the switch.

The upper portion 50 of the escutcheon, which extends upwardly from the top wall 53 of the partition 16, is formed .as shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawing to include in the outer surfaces of side walls 38 and 39 cylindrical recesses 51 for receiving the ends of pivot pins 52 mounting the doors 14 and for pivotal movement about an axis adjacent their upper edges. These pivot pins are slidably contained in slots 54 provided on the inner surfaces of the doors 14 and 15 and are spring-biased into the recesses 51 by springs 55. It will be understood that similar pivot means are provided on the outer edges of the door for pivotally supporting these edges on the side walls 6 and 7 of the recess 4.

From the above description, it will be seen that the escutcheon 36 provides means for insulating the switch and for supporting the adjacent edges of the doors 14 .and 15. A particular advantage of this construction is that the escutcheon 36 and particularly the front or face thereof can be shaped to match or blend with the front surfaces of the doors 14 and 15. For example, as shown in FIG- URE 4 of the drawing, the exposed face portion of the escutcheon 36 is in the same general plane and of the same general shape as the front surfaces of the doors 14 and 15 and the decorative ridges 57 and 58 on each of the doors are in effect extensions of the upper and lower edges 59 and 60 of the escutcheon recess 46. The escutcheon also prevents cross air flow between the two compartments 9 and 10 since the inner edges of the escutcheon side walls engage the adjacent portions of the partition. The removal escutcheon also facilitates servicing of the switch as the switch is made accessible merely by removing the doors and escutcheon. Also, as has previously been indicated, the general appearance of the inner door structure can be altered by changing the decor of the storage doors or covers and the escutcheon without making any changes in the appearance or shape of the inner door panel.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a refrigerator door structure;

an inner liner formed of a plastic sheet material shaped to provide side-by-side storage recesses including top walls and having access openings at the front thereof, the adjacent side walls of said recesses being spaced from one another to define a partition having a front wall, said partition extending forwardly from said recess tops walls and including an upper portion extending above said top Walls;

electrical heating means for warming at least one of said recesses;

switch means including a switch button mounted on said partition front wall; an escutcheon removably mounted on said partition including a vertical section engaging said partition front wall and an inwardly extending U-shaped top section including spaced side walls overlying the opposite sides of said upper portion of said partition;

said escutcheon including an .access opening for receiving said switch button, and means for removably securing said escutcheon to said portion.

2. The door structure of claim 1 including a closure member for said one of said recesses and means for pivot- .ally mounting one end of said closure member on the said escutcheon top section.

3. The door structure of claim 1 in which said escutcheon includes a rearwardly extending hook means adapted to hook into an opening in said partition front wall for securing said escutcheon to said front wall.

4. The door structure of claim 3 in which the front surfaces of said closure member in its closed position and said escutcheon are substantially coplanar.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,660,346 2/1928 Neal 22024.2

2,667,758 2/1954 Tenney et a1 3l2-l38 X 2,894,378 7/1959 Saunders 3l2138 X CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 62337; 174-66; 22024.2; 312-138, 236 

